Rest in Pieces
by Linwe Elendil
Summary: The changing tides of Anakin's life, set to the song Rest in Pieces by Saliva.


Disclaimer: I really wished I owned all of this! Better yet, I wish I could create such complex and unique characters for my own original stories! (Sighing)

This songfic idea hit me much harder than the first one! I was trying to find a song that would fit Han when I stumbled across this, and it so overwhelmed me that I went to the computer right away and started writing about Anakin! I've never written about him before, and can only hope I did him justice in this story. Please let me know what you think! This songfic is inspired by the amazing song "Rest in Pieces" by Saliva.

Special thanks to my beta, jackyyy17, for making sure I make sense! (Wait, did that sound right…?) See, I obviously need her help! ;-)

* * *

**Rest in Pieces** _  
_

_Look at me, my depth perception must be off again,  
'Cause this hurts deeper than I thought it did,  
It has not healed with time...  
It just shot down my spine._

Anakin helped Padme out of the small boat and tried to keep himself alert for dangers as they walked. He was supposed to be her bodyguard while here on Naboo, but was finding it hard to concentrate around the former queen. They stopped to admire the scenery, but all he could see was her. As they made idle conversation, Anakin ran his hand across her smooth skin, shivering at the touch. He felt the urge to kiss her, and gave in, savoring the sweet sensation of her soft lips against his.

_You look so beautiful tonight,  
Reminds me how you laid us down,  
And gently smiled,  
Before you destroyed my life...  
_

Grief tore Anakin apart as he looked at his wife. He had done everything for her, and now she was saying he was on a path she could not follow! He'd slaughtered the Separatist leaders, the Jedi at the temple, even bore responsibility for the death of Master Windu; all because he was trying to save her life! Palpatine had the knowledge to cheat death – knowledge Anakin could only get by becoming his apprentice and fulfilling his commands, which included committing these atrocities. This was necessary. Why couldn't she understand? He had tried to reason with her, but the fear in her eyes was his answer. As whisper of movement caught his attention, Anakin glanced over to see his old master, Obi-Wan, resolutely descending the ship's ramp. Padme had betrayed him! Scorching anger smothered Anakin, and he raised a hand, constricting her throat in a determination that his wife feel the depth of his anguish and the consequences of defying the newfound Sith Lord. He watched, unsympathetic, as she struggled to breathe.

_Would you find it in your heart,  
To make this go away,  
And let me rest in pieces?  
_

Darth Vader clung to the rough gravel with his mechanical hand. Pain consumed him as his body burned; a fire that reached into his soul, cauterizing the pieces of Anakin that lingered. His heart cried out at the loss, but no tears fell from his blazing eyes. "I hate you!" Vader screamed at his murderer, as Anakin struggled to rise above the fire below, and the fire consuming him from within. Obi-Wan's sorrowful exclamation that he had loved his former student as a brother was almost enough to touch what remained of Anakin's tortured mind. Almost.

_Look at me, my depth perception must be off again,  
You got much closer than I thought you did,  
I'm in your reach,  
You held me in your hand..._

When Obi-Wan bent to retrieve Anakin's dropped lightsaber, Vader looked on in shock. He wanted to scream for the man to return and finish what he had begun, but could only watch helplessly as his former friend walked away, leaving him alone with his agony.

_Would you find it in your heart,  
To make this go away,  
And let me rest in pieces?_

Palpatine had come to collect what was left of his apprentice, and Anakin noticed the rain falling from the sky with a sense of detachment. Surely soon he would die. He didn't care if it was drawn out, as he had become intimately acquainted with pain, and it couldn't get any worse. He was wrong. When the Emperor told him that Vader had killed Padme, Anakin screamed – the last pieces of his heart smoldering in the heat of his despair. His body may have been reconstructed, but his spirit was forever broken.

_Would you find it in your heart,  
To make this go away,  
And let me rest in pieces?_

Killing the Emperor would cost Vader his life, and Anakin his soul; but before they both disappeared into the blackness that awaited, Anakin wanted to see his son's face. And as he looked into Luke's eyes, he wept at opportunities lost. Luke's call of "Father…" still fresh in his ears, Anakin Skywalker closed his eyes in relief.

_Would you find it in your heart,  
To make this go away,  
And let me rest in pieces?_

Walking through strange fog, the Chosen One was suddenly uncertain of his fate. All he had learned as a Sith told him that he should have ceased to exist with his death; and yet, his consciousness endured. Soft tendrils of the Force surrounded him as he journeyed, sifting through his memories as it slowly erased his mistakes. Soon they were nothing but bad dreams that quickly faded. It was an unfathomable gift given in spite of all he had done – or perhaps because of it. Vader's life was disappearing, and Anakin did not mourn its departure. Maybe now he could rest.

_Could you find in your heart?  
Could you let me rest in pieces?  
_

Obi-Wan and Yoda came toward Anakin through the mists, and as his former master embraced him, Anakin realized that he was not in pieces after all. Together they watched the Rebels celebrate their victory, and Anakin smiled at his son, certain they could see one another. Princess Leia came to draw Luke back toward the warmth of the fire, and as the Jedi smiled at her, Anakin knew. _She's just like her mother_, he thought, as the Force gently brushed away the guilt for all he had done to his daughter.

The three Jedi continued on through the mists, and Anakin sighed in contentment, not thinking to question where they were going next. He found that he didn't care. A gentle peace began to spread through him, and he smiled.

The Force had finally been balanced, and with it, so had he.

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I hope you enjoyed it! I wrote this few months ago, and am only now posting it due to my hiatus! If you want to rebuke me, you can hit the little button on the left. Just don't rip me to shreds, please! 


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